COLUMBIA, S.C. — On Tuesday, June 28, some Richland County residents will cast their votes the primary runoff election for County Council District 11 since no candidate received more than 50% of the vote in the primary two weeks ago.
Chakisse Newton currently represents District 11. Newton says her first term was anything but ordinary. “I was sworn in in 2019, so I got one regular year, two COVID years and then this.”
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If reelected, Newton hopes to focus efforts on infrastructure, public safety, and community investment.
“You see what’s been happening with a lot of our young people, and that’s really an opportunity for us to come together and work together.”
Her challenger is Norman Jackson, who held the seat until 2018 when Newton won the seat.
Norman says he wants to give less power to developers and more control of property to the residents of Richland County.
“They are concerned about gentrification, Jackson said. "They’re concerned about the new law that has been filed by the county telling people what to do with their land.”
If elected, Norman says he plans to bring together community members, developers, and businesses to help grow Richland County.
“To make sure or ensure that we have proper growth," Jackson said. "We will grow, but it’s how do we grow? It should be from the citizens not the developers.”
Clifton Campbell just moved to Columbia five months ago and says that there are already a number of things he would like to see local officials get done.
“What I would love to see is more work on the roads," Campbell said. "Do more infrastructure, basically more work on the roads.”
Campbell also says that local elections are important to the community and he hopes to see voters turn out tomorrow.
“If you don’t vote and just stand here and wish that things would happen, they’re not going to happen.”